But Come Ye Back
by AmericanPoet
Summary: Esme has left Carlisle. What's going to happen to him? And how does this new Chosen One affect all of this? Will he be able to help her be free of the Volturi? A sequel to Now You're Really Living!
1. Chapter 1

"You are to fetch the Chosen One." Aro said, casually waving his hand in the direction of one of his minions.

"Yes, Master." Alec said, bowing once and hurrying towards the dungeon.

The time had finally come that the Chosen One, a female who was not quite human but not quite vampire either, to be impregnated by Aro, Marcus, or Caius. Their plan was to start an army that would be invincible, even against the strongest vampires. The Chosen One had the blood supply that could feed numerous vampires without killing her and could survive a vampire birth repeatedly. The Chosen One was a very rare female, with one being born every thousand years or so. Finally, Aro, Caius, and Marcus had come across a Chosen One female about twenty years ago, but she was not of breeding age yet, her body not yet capable of feeding and breeding and surviving. So for two decades, they had only fed from her vein and waited until the night when her body would mature and she would be fertile and capable. That night was tonight.

Alec finally arrived at the dungeon, four stories underground. In a very large and very well outfitted and windowless cell, a young woman sat in the corner. Her long black hair was plaited down her back, her clothes the very best. She looked up at Alec as he came to her steel-barred and triple locked door.

"Mary Helena, Aro wishes your presence this night." Alec said.

Mary Helena, or Helena as her mother called her when her mother was still living, looked up at Alec. In his hand he held a tranquilizer gun, loaded and cocked. She was never allowed to leave her room without being thoroughly sedated or knocked completely out. Helena made no move to stand, just kept staring at Alec as he pointed the tranquilizer gun at her.

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be. Come to the door and I'll inject you with a syringe instead of shooting you like an elephant." Alec said.

For a moment, Helena considered it. But why would she willingly go and allow herself to be raped repeatedly until she became pregnant? That would be her whole life; feeding those vampires and having their spawn until her body gave out in a few hundred years. Helena knew what she was. Caius had insisted she be told about what she was, and so it was. Boy, didn't she feel special. Doomed to this gilded cage. No matter how beautiful the room in which she stayed, the clothes she wore, the food she sometimes ate, she was still trapped like a wild animal, treated like such. She would gladly trade it all. Even if it meant her being in a strange place with nothing but the clothes on her back, she would gladly give it up. For nearly two weeks, Helena had been formulating a plan of escape. When she had heard Aro, Marcus, and Caius discussing the Cullen family, Carlisle in particular, she knew she had to meet them. They were "vegetarian" vampires, meaning they did not feast on human blood. Maybe they could help her. Even if they couldn't and turned her back over to the Volturi, she would know. There would be no doubts, no what-if's.

A safety pin was unclasped behind her, and Helena dragged it across her wrist, eliciting a few droplets of blood. That would be enough to make any vampire's mouth fill with venom. She was glad the venom was harmless as water to her. As the droplets of blood formed, she heard Alec groan softly, the tranquilizer gun in his hand start to crumble. Feeling more encouraged, Helena dragged it harder across her wrist again. More blood came to the surface and Alec was near his breaking point. It had been a week since he fed and he was so very thirsty. The third time Helena took the pin across her wrist, she heard the steel bending and Alec was at her side, the syringe and tranquilizer gun in his hands. Grabbing her wrist, he bit down and nearly had an orgasm at the sweet, sweet taste of Helena's blood. Not a moment later, Marcus hissed as he ran into the room, throwing Alec across the room and through the wall. In the dust and wreckage, Helena managed to sneak out as the others came down to accost Alec for his stupidity. By this time, Helena had made it to the underground tunnel and was running as quietly and quickly as she could for the above ground, to the sun.

"You better not have hurt the Chosen One, Marcus. I will rip your head from your neck where you stand if you have." Aro said, looking around.

"She was crouching in the corner not a minute ago." Marcus said, glancing around.

Marcus, Caius, and Aro dove for the wreckage in the corner, throwing back chunks of stone and wood, searching for Mary Helena, the Chosen One. When they didn't find her, Aro hissed, a very scary sound, and all three headed for the door.

Helena had finally reached the surface. She had to find some mode of transportation that could get her from Italy to a state called Washington in the United States. She started running towards a group of tourists who were heading for a plane. She could convince the pilot and flight attendant to let her board if they were human. Racing for the giant airplane, praying that Aro and Caius and Marcus didn't catch up to her, Helena found the flight attendant. Helena looked deep into the woman's eyes, willing her mind to relax as she probed around. She hadn't had much practice at all. Helena was surprised when the woman nodded, handing her a boarding pass, and helped her to her seat. Making her way up to the cockpit, she had a bit harder time convincing the pilot and co-pilot that the plane should take off right now. Within a half hour, the plane was taking off, heading for California. Helena really hoped that California was near Washington.

……

..

It had been nearly six months since Esme had said her final goodbye to Carlisle and left with Rheneas. Sasha apologized nearly a thousand times, citing that it was her fault that she insisted that Rheneas come here. Carlisle had told her that she couldn't have known that would happen, and that she wasn't to blame. Word got out about Carlisle's new status, and he was immediately swamped with offers of dates, offers to cook and clean for him, offers to marry him. In public, he smiled softly and said that it wouldn't be necessary, that he needed more time to get over what happened to him. In private though, that was when he let his suffering loose. He tried to keep it in whenever his children were around, saying that he needed a private hunt or a walk to clear his mind. But they knew. Jasper and Edward especially knew. Jasper would try to uplift him a little, try to take away some of his hurt and sorrow and anger. Alice would try so hard to get a vision of his future, but nothing was coming to her as of yet. Emmett and Rosalie would often times invite everyone for a weekend getaway to leave Carlisle so he could have a mini-vacation "away from us kids", as she said. He was eternally grateful for those. In those times, he didn't have to bottle his emotions or feelings. He could let his pain loose and not have to worry.

……

..

The plane landed in California, and Helena quickly exited the plane and walked to the desk, asking for a map of the United States and to be given visual directions on the quickest way to Washington. Armed with her map, Helena headed for the nearest pawn shop. She had no money on her, but she did have the valuable trinkets that Aro, Marcus, and Caius liked to shower her with. Certainly they would buy a bus ticket, food, and possible shelter until she could find the Cullens.

After selling three rings, a brooch, and one bracelet, Helena was ready. She had nearly five thousand dollars. She got directions to the nearest bus terminal and bought a ticket for Seattle, Washington. From there, Helena hoped to ask around and see if anyone had ever heard of a Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Hopefully she would be able to find him before the Volturi caught up with her.

……

..

_Author's Note: Wow, this took forever. You all would not believe what I've been through since my last fic ended. I won't even begin to list everything because it'll take up at least another page, and I don't want to bring you all down. So, what do you think? I know it's short and I'm sorry, but at least it's a start, yeah? I hope you all like it. I'll try to update about once a week, though right now I can't guarantee it because my classes are hectic. I have to write an original story that's about 20 pages long for one class. And another paper due every week for another class. And a discussion board for another class. And another exam for my Astro class. Ugh. Help? Haha. Anyway, review!_


	2. Chapter 2

The plane that Helena had boarded suddenly began to shake with awful turbulence. The pilot spoke over the intercom, his voice shaky and wooden sounding at the same time.

"We will be making an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon." was all the pilot said.

The passengers looked around at each other with questioning looks upon their faces. Some even went to ask the flight attendants why the stop. The flight attendants knew about as much as the passengers did. A feeling of dread settled into the pit of Helena's stomach. She had the nagging feeling that somehow, a member of the Volturi had boarded the plane with her and spotted her. It wouldn't be a vampire, no. The sun would cause their skin to sparkle and shimmer outrageously, and that would cause uproar. It had to be one of their human minions. No sooner had the thought entered Helena's mind did a beautiful young woman come walking slowly down the aisles, looking at each passenger.

"Mary Helena, it's time to come home." the young woman, Joanna, said.

Cursing under her breath, Helena quickly evacuated her seat, going from first class to economy, trying to get to the luggage area without being seen or stopped.

"Stop her!" Joanna shouted, pointing at the retreating figure of Helena.

Oddly, no one made a move to stop her. The passengers just stared at the now quickly retreating Helena back to the wide eyed Joanna. Stomping her foot impatiently, Joanna scanned the crowd.

"One million dollars to the person who catches her and brings her back to me alive and unharmed!" Joanna said, pulling a wad of money from underneath her shirt and waving it around.

Two men instantly jumped out of their seats, each trying to get to Helena first. The larger man tried to knock the smaller man down, so he would have a clear shot of getting to Helena and therefore getting the million dollars. Not to be outdone, the smaller man grabbed the larger man around the knees, causing him to buckle and fall flat in the middle of the aisle.

"Thank you greed." Helena muttered, running through economy and trying to head for the luggage area.

The plane lurched again and landed roughly on a runway in Portland, Oregon. Helena had nearly made it through when the plane slowed down on the runway. Seeing a flight attendant strapped to her chair by the door, a wild thought ran though Helena's head. Maybe she could throw the door open and jump into the nearby grass and make a quicker getaway from Joanna and the Volturi. Helena grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself and ran to the door. Despite the flight attendant's argument that it was dangerous, Helena used her mind block and threw the door open. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the blanket hard and jumped out of the plane.

……

..

Carlisle was sitting in his office in the hospital, reviewing some of the files on his upcoming patients. He had volunteered to work the emergency room after three doctors had called in. The file of the patient he was reading about now was a man in his early fifties who had been complaining of chest pain. He almost dreaded going into the room because he would undoubtedly come face to face with his overly concerned and loving wife. Seeing that made him miss Esme. Missing Esme made him feel like, well, a loser. Esme was gone. He kept telling himself that. Esme was gone, voluntarily, with Rheneas and it didn't look as if she would ever come back. It took him two weeks two finally take off his wedding band. Every spare moment he had, he would watch the door and the phone, just waiting for Esme to call or come back, admit what she did was wrong and foolish, and beg him to take her back. He longed to hear her voice say one more time that she loved him. To see her smile and hear her laugh and feel her soft touch. Releasing an unneeded breath slowly, Carlisle stood and grabbed the file and headed for the patient's room. As he walked, his mind wandered back. He had considered going to the Volturi and asking them to end his existence. Without Esme, he thought, he was nothing. When he accepted that she wasn't coming back, he was so tempted to do that. But his children, Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and now James and Sasha, they were his saving grace. He couldn't abandon them. He wouldn't. They were trying to so hard to help me. What really helped him was them staying with him instead of choosing to follow Esme and Rheneas. Everyone choosing to stick by him was helping him to restore his faith himself. Maybe he wasn't a complete loser after all. Carlisle had finally arrived at his patient's room and knocked on the door.

……

..

Helena hit the ground hard, the blanket doing somewhat of a good job at protecting her skin from asphalt burn. She nearly made it to the grass, but at first skidded across a couple feet of asphalt. When she had stopped rolling, she stood up and tried to get her bearings. The only thing she knew was that she was in Portland and that the Volturi had sent Joanna after her. Why on earth they sent that bint was unknown to Helena, but she didn't care. Night would fall soon and that's when the big boys would come out searching for her. With no time to check her map, Helena ran in the direction of the gate, to put some distance between her and Joanna. The only downside was that she was getting hungry, and the blood coursing through her veins was started to build up. She had to find food and a safe place where she could release some blood. If she didn't feed a vampire every few days or so, or cut herself, her blood would become too much inside of her veins and her veins would start to burst. It wasn't as if she were trying to commit suicide by cutting herself, oh no. It was quite the opposite. A quick check in her pockets as she ran confirmed that she still had the map with the directions drawn on it and the money. If she could get far enough away, she could go into a crowded restaurant and not only eat, but relieve herself of some blood. She hated wasting it though.

After two hours of running, then walking closer to the end, Helena came upon a town just north of the Washington/Oregon border called Longview. It was getting dark, and Helena didn't want to be out in the open after dark if she could help it. The first hotel she found that looked pretty full of people was the one Helena decided to stay the night at. The more human scents around her, the better it would mask her own scent, making it harder for the Volturi to find her. Helena registered under a false name and scribbled something illegible in the register, then convinced the clerk behind the desk that she really didn't need to see her identification, and that it was perfectly acceptable to accept cash as a form of payment for one night. When Helena finally got to her room, she nearly collapsed on the bed. The only thing that kept her from falling asleep from exhaustion was her hunger and her need to release blood. Helena called for room service and ordered from the late night menu. She decided that she could spring for a cheeseburger and fries, and that was exactly what she ordered. In Italy, the Volturi regulated her diet so strictly, measuring her foods and deciding what she could and could not have. Ever since she became of age to where she could bear their young, they had put her on a strict diet. They wanted her as physically healthy and ready to get pregnant as she could possibly be. After eating she would try to relieve herself of just a little bit of blood, nothing so much which would alert any member of the Volturi or any other vampire. In the morning, Helena would find a library and look up as much information as she could on the Cullen doctor, Carlisle.

……

..

Carlisle was sitting in his office, staring blankly at his pen lying on his desk. He had today off, Saturday. He couldn't remember the last time he had a weekend day off. So far, Carlisle had migrated from the couch in the living room to where he was now, his office. He was startled out of his revelry when Edward knocked on his door.

"Come in Edward." Carlisle said, turning his attention to the door.

"Alice is having a vision." Edward said.

Both men nearly ran down the stairs to find Alice sitting at the bottom of the stairs, her features blank as she stared out unseeing into space. Jasper was in front of her, waiting for her to come out of her vision. Edward was concentrating hard, trying to get a read on Alice's vision.

"I keep seeing her…" Alice whispered.

"Who is it, Alice?" Edward asked, seeing small glimpses of the girl in Alice's vision.

"She's coming. Soon." Alice said.

In that very second, Alice blinked and shook her head. Just like that, her vision had ended. For the past week, Alice had been getting these very short visions, and always of the same person. A beautiful young girl with long black hair and a very sad look upon her face. She couldn't get a name or location, or why she kept getting visions of the girl. It was beginning to frustrate her. Edward narrowed his eyes as he thought of what it could mean as well.

"Who is coming?" Emmett asked.

"We don't know yet." Edward said.

"Are you okay, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm fine. I've just been having these really short visions lately, and all of the same person. I can't figure it out. "Alice said.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." Carlisle said.

With that, Carlisle turned and headed back upstairs to his office.

…..

..

Helena had just finished her food and lay back on the bed, sighing with a happy full sensation in her tummy. The need to release some blood was still there, but it wasn't urgent to the point where she had to move and do something about it now. Maybe in the morning before she left she would feel more like it. Right now, the pull of sleep was strong for Helena, and who was she to deny herself anything anymore?

……

..

Around ten the next morning, Helena awoke. She stretched, hearing her joints crack and pop. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stumbled to the shower. Finally, a shower where some lecherous vampire wouldn't be staring at her the entire time! Helena smiled for the first time in years as she stripped and turned the shower on. She was determined to scrub every ounce of evidence that she had ever spent any time with the Volturi from her skin. Helena spied the razor on the sink and decided now was a better time than ever to get some relief.

No sooner had she made a cut and the relief came did her hotel room door bust down, soon followed by her bathroom door. She dropped the razor, the blood flowing freely down her hand and to the floor. The person, a crazed male with blood red eyes nearly tackled Helena to the floor. The male vampire was fighting like hell to get the blood to his lips. A passerby who heard the commotion walked by Helena's room and screamed, running down the hall. Within a minute, police had swarmed the room, trying to pry the male vampire from Helena who had bled quite a bit. It took six officers to pull the male far enough back that another officer could pull Helena out and rush her to the hospital. Helena had nearly bled out. Her change into final maturity that was coming up soon wasn't helping much. If she didn't have enough blood, she wouldn't survive.

"Damn…" Helena whispered as she was taken to the nearest emergency room.

……

..

_Author's note: I'm such a procrastinator. I'm supposed to be studying for my big astro exam tomorrow evening. Instead, I write a 2k+ chapter for you guys. I'll blame you all if I fail, okay? Haha, kidding. Maybe. I don't really have much else to say…review? Please? Big reviews make me wanna write more stuff quicker. Hint hint. Mwaaaah!_


	3. Chapter 3

Helena was coming to slowly, her eyes opening and closing. What little she could see around her was a little dark and there were two men overhead.

"Ma'am? Do you know where you are?" a man asked.

Helena groaned and closed her eyes again, her wrist aching. More than anything, she wanted to crawl into a dark hole to heal and sleep. Only one time before had she been this close to bleeding out to the point of death. It was the only time Aro had been concerned for her wellbeing. He had just fed from a human, their blood running fresh through him. He had bit into his own wrist and held it to Helena's mouth, letting the blood flow into her mouth and down her throat. The blood, mixed with the vampire venom from Aro, made a powerful healing concoction for Helena. Unfortunately, it also bound them for one month. He was able to feel what Helena was feeling, know what she was thinking, and the opposite with Helena. Afterwards, he swore to never do it again. During the month they were bound, he would often yell at Helena, claiming that it was her fault. She would start crying which in turn would make a pang of guilt fall hard on Aro. He then ordered Helena to be in isolation for the rest of the month.

"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" the man asked again.

Helena opened her eyes again, looking up at the man. She replied in Russian, not knowing that the EMT didn't speak Russian.

"I'm sorry, I can't understand you. Do you speak English?" the EMT asked.

" 'Vere am I going?" Helena asked, her words heavily accented.

"To the hospital. You were attacked in a hotel room and you wrist is pretty chewed up and you've lost quite a bit of blood." the EMT said.

"Vere?" Helena asked.

"Lennon General in Olympia. They are the nearest trauma unit with enough blood stocked." The EMT said.

"Is Dr. Cullen there?" Helena asked, knowing better than to get her hopes up.

"I don't recall, but you could inquire about it when we get there." the EMT said.

……

..

Alice skipped down the stairs and into the living room. Carlisle was reading a few papers from around the world, catching up on the news. Emmett and Rosalie were competing against each other on the new Wii, seeing who was better at the new game. Edward was, of course, off somewhere with Bella, and Jasper was reading some Civil War books, laughing at all the errors.

"Anything happening around the world, Carlisle?" Alice asked.

"Nothing too unusual. Missing people, war, the usual." Carlisle said.

Alice took a newspaper from Italy, nearly dropping it as a vision hit her suddenly. She went still, her eyes unfocused and staring out emptily. Jasper dropped his book and stood near Alice. Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie all turned their attentions to Alice. The newspaper in Alice's hand started shaking. Alice dropped to her knees on the floor, Jasper trying to pull her back to standing. Without looking at what she was doing, Alice began tearing the newspaper into strips and chunks, arranging them in a certain pattern. It went on for what seemed like an hour but really was only a few minutes. Alice let out a breath as her vision ended, her head hanging for a moment. Jasper and Carlisle stood over Alice, looking.

……

..

"Well, you have lost a bit of blood. But don't worry, we've replaced it and your body will produce more. Now, do you have a number that we could call to alert your parents or guardians?" the emergency room doctor asked.

"My parents are deceased. I need no guardian." Helena said. She really wished they hadn't given her any blood. Her body already produced more than she needed, and would have made up for the loss of blood within a couple of hours, easily. All this donated blood will do is make her have to cut herself again to release some blood for relief.

"You're too young to be released without parental or guardian consent." the doctor said.

"Too young? How old do you think I am?" Helena asked.

"Sixteen, maybe." the doctor replied.

"Ha. I am…twenty one. Twenty one years." Helena said.

Of course her real age wasn't 21. Helena was many, many times older than that. She highly doubted this human doctor, who was not Carlisle Cullen nor had he heard of such a person, would believe her.

"Without any identification, I can't release you. You say your parents are dead and you have no guardians. I'm going to have to turn you over to the state." the doctor said.

"You will do no such thing!" Helena said, glaring and sitting up.

"I don't want to have to tranquilize you, miss. I can't just release you while you are a minor without identification." the doctor said.

"I told you I am not this minor!" Helena said. The one catch with her power was that whenever she was upset or angry, her powers waned. "Thank you for treating me, but I am leaving now."

"Nurse, please bring a tranquilizer to room 206." the doctor called out into the hallway.

"No! You do not understand! I need to leave and find Carlisle Cullen!" Helena shouted, pulling the i.v.'s from her arm.

"Nurse! Now!" the doctor shouted.

Helena was shouting obscenities in Russian at the doctor and nurses until the tranquilizer took its hold on her.

"I'll alert the authorities and see which orphanage has room for one more." a nurse said after Helena was subdued.

……

..

"What is that a picture of?" Emmett asked, looking at what Alice had arranged during her vision.

"It looks like a building near here…an orphanage?" Jasper said. "Alice?"

Alice nodded. "Soon. It won't be long now. Things will be coming together. This is exciting!" she added with a big smile on her face.

"Alice? What won't be long now?" Carlisle asked. "Jasper, has she told you?"

"I don't know. But she seems excited about it, so it can't be bad. Right?" Jasper said.

Carlisle's pager went off a moment later. He rushed out within five minutes, an emergency at the hospital.

……

..

Helena woke up about six hours later in a dark room. For a moment, she thought it was all just a dream and that she was still bound in Italy. She was screaming in Russian, pleading for someone to hear her and release her.

"What is with all that screaming?" a woman said, opening the door and coming in the room. "Are you having a nightmare, sweetie? It's okay, you're safe here."

"No! No, Stregoni Benefici!" Helena yelled.

"Can you speak English? You're okay here, you are safe!" the woman said.

"Vere am I?" Helena said, not recognizing the woman's voice.

"Loving Hearts Orphanage." the woman said. "My name is Anita."

"What? Vere? Vere?!" Helena said.

"Forks, Washington." Anita said.

"Stregoni! Vere is he?" Helena asked.

"I don't know who you're talking about. You've had a rough day, sweetheart. You better go to sleep, you start your first day at Forks High School tomorrow." Anita said.

"Bathroom." Helena said.

"Oh, it's right around this corner." Anita said, pointing.

"Yes, thank you." Helena said, pushing past her.

Being in an orphanage, chased by the Volturi, being attacked by a vampire, and no one knowing where Carlisle Cullen, or Stregoni Benefici as Aro and Caius sometimes referred to him as, was stressing Helena out. That added to the blood she was given at the hospital was giving her pain. Her veins felt as though they would burst any second. Going into the bathroom and locking the door, Helena started looking for something sharp.

……

..

_Author's note: So let me wrap up my absence by saying I have busted ribs and my sacroiliac (sp?) is fractured. So all that = major pain. Someone remove the giant cosmic "Fucking Kick Me!" sign, please? I will try to be better about updates, barring at further sickness and injury. So, they are getting ready to meet! I promise, they will somewhat meet in the next chapter. Have faith in me! It will all work out. So these reviews? Amazing. You guys freaking rock my world! I love you all! Mwaaaah! Oh yeah, and I just made up names of hospitals and orphanages. Why? Because I can! Haha!_


	4. Chapter 4

Joanna looked around the hotel room, dressed in a police officer's uniform, surveying the damage. She could still smell the sharp tang of blood, and if her guess was correct, it was Mary Helena's blood. The front door was broken in off its hinges, and the bathroom door was cracked nearly in half. If Joanna were to guess again, she would say a local vampire would be to blame for this. What Joanna couldn't guess was how much, if any, blood the vampire was able to drink from Mary Helena. Aro and Caius were not going to like this whatsoever, but it was her duty to report in. Her first priority was capturing Mary Helena and bringing her back to the Volturi for impregnation and breeding an army. After taking in as many details as she could, Joanna slipped out unnoticed and walked into an empty stairwell, shucking off her police officer's uniform in favor for street clothes. Joanna walked out of the building a few minutes later, pulling out her cell phone and dialing Aro's number.

……

..

When Helena finally regained consciousness, she opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room. It was a cold kind of white, with faint beeping noises coming from behind her. She surveyed her body, checking for any signs of injury. Her arm felt heavy, and she felt weak. Raising her arm, she saw that it was heavily bandaged, and there were tubes and wires coming from each hand. A sudden wave of nausea overtook her and Helena started dry-heaving. A nurse came rushing in, trying to figure out what could be making Helena so sick.

"Are you allergic to any medicines?" the nurse asked Helena.

Helena had no clue what she was or wasn't allergic to medicine-wise. When Helena shook her head, she saw what was making her so ill. The doctor was giving her a blood transfusion through the vein in the crook of her elbow. Helena managed to get her bandaged arm over and tried ripping the tube from her. The nurse, following protocol, called for a couple of orderlies, and tried to prevent Helena from not only ripping the blood tube out, but also damaging her vein and skin in the process.

"Don't understand…blood…making me ill." Helena said, her accent making her words hard to understand.

"Poor thing is delusional. Let's get her stable." the nurse said, motioning for the orderlies to strap her arms down.

Helena wanted to scream but instead she started convulsing. They wouldn't believe her when she tried to tell them the blood they were giving her was what was making her so ill. If she didn't get the blood tube out of her arm and leave the hospital as soon as possible, Joanna and the Volturi could track her down and bring her back to Italy. That thought made Helena sicker to her stomach, but gave her the energy she needed to do something drastic. In a fit of desperation, Helena craned her neck to try to bite through the tube that was pumping blood into her arm. The nurse screamed and tried quickly to repair the tube, but the damage was done. Helena had bitten through the tubing completely, watching the blood drip onto the clean, white floor. The orderlies forgot about strapping Helena to the bed and started helping the nurse who was frantically trying to clean the mess and summon the doctor. Using the last of her mental strength, Helena convinced a nurse who was running by the room to remove her IV and other tubes, making it look like she was actually helping when she was actually was not. Within one minute, the nurse had freed Helena and started making another mess with the IV to further distract the nurse and orderlies. Helena wondered how she would be able to get out of the room and to some clothes so she could escape without being found out. Helena, clutching her arm, made a mad dash out of the room and through the hallway, looking for a public restroom. When she finally found one, she rushed in and locked herself in a stall. She prayed that someone would come in so she could borrow their clothes and walk out. Minutes passed and no one entered. Helena was starting to get worried that no one would come in and the orderlies or a nurse would find her when the bathroom door opened and a rather large woman walked in. With the thought that beggars couldn't be choosers, she grabbed the top of the tank on the commode and snuck up behind the woman and hit her hard enough on the head to knock her out for a little while, but not to do any serious damage. Helena rushed to lock the door before anyone else came in and saw her. She kept apologizing under her breath as she took the woman's shirt, which was long enough for a short dress, and shoes, figuring that since the pants wouldn't fit, she wouldn't take them. She did her best to disguise the places where she had an IV and the blood tube by draping the woman's coat over her arms and unlocked the door. Helena hurriedly walked to the nearest exit, hoping no one would notice her clothing.

……

..

Alice froze during a presentation about Shakespeare during the middle of English class. Two visions came upon her, one right after the other. Jasper cited some excuse about Alice having a seizure and that she needed to see their father and carried her out of the classroom. He gently put Alice in the backseat of Edward's Volvo and sent a text message to each of the Cullens explaining what was going on. Within seconds, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie all rushed out to the car. Edward got in and drove quickly to the hospital where Carlisle would be waiting for them.

"Alice? Alice, what do you see?" Jasper asked, stroking Alice's face.

Alice, of course, remained silent and unmoving through her visions. Edward was trying to concentrate on his driving and on what Alice was seeing, but he couldn't make sense of it. He pulled into the hospital parking lot, with Emmett and Rosalie pulling in right beside him. Jasper carried Alice up to Carlisle's office with the rest following him. Within seconds, Carlisle had joined them, waiting on Alice's visions to end.

"She's closer. But they're looking for her. They want to bring her back before she finds what she is looking for." Alice whispered.

"Who? Who?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know who she is. But the Volturi is after her. She's…different. They had her and they lost her. They're mad." Alice whispered, her visions ending.

"What do you think it means, Alice?" Edward asked, reading Alice's thoughts.

"It has to do with us, why would I be getting visions of her otherwise?" Alice asked.

"Where did you see her?" Jasper asked. "Maybe we have to help her."

"She's close by. But she's injured. I don't know where she is, the landscape could be anywhere." Alice said.

"Should we start a search, Carlisle?" Emmett asked.

"No. Not yet. Not until we know where to look." Carlisle finally replied.

……

..

Aro had just gotten off the phone with Joanna. He stalked down the hallway where he kept humans around for feeding purposes. Grabbing a cocky, arrogant man who was threatening bodily harm and death, Aro ripped into the human's jugular, the man's screams of pain and eventual death doing nothing to calm his anger. Caius watched him from the corner, walking out when Aro dropped the lifeless body to the ground.

"What has happened?" Caius asked, watching his friend.

"Joanna has just reported in. Apparently some local vampire had attacked Mary Helena. She's not sure how much, if any, blood the vampire drank. But the humans rushed Mary Helena off to a hospital. Joanna is going there next to capture Mary Helena and bring her back. Let us hope that she was not compromised." Aro said.

"Should we alert any allies in the area?" Caius asked.

"No! They will try to use her for themselves. Our plan will be no more if that happens." Aro said.

"Should I send out back up to assist Joanna?" Caius asked.

"Not yet. Let us see if she fails us again. If she does, we'll have her…removed. Then we shall replace her." Aro said.

……

..

_Author's Note: How badly do you guys hate me? I don't blame you if you do. But I do have a really good reason for the long hiatus on this story. Silly me decided to take three summer classes so I could graduate quicker. Well I didn't count on having a f'n devil for a professor. She's horrible! Two quizzes and an exam PER WEEK. Plus homework twice a week. She's the effin devil! And she's all like "if you need help email me and let me know." Well I emailed her like three times and each time she goes "look over the homework." What the hell. That doesn't help! So yeah, between that and working in the lab and dealing with two other classes, it left no time to write. But classes are over on the 31__st__ so my lovely beautiful sexy intelligent snazzy-dressing super hot readers have a regular updating to look forward to. Please don't hate me. I'm trying! I know this is a short update but its an update. I will try to update again later this week after I take the hellacious finals. Someone send Solomon Trimble over to me so I can de-stress? I'd appreciate it so much. Tell me what you think about this chapter, I wanna know! Mwaaaaah to all my readers who haven't given up on me!_


	5. Chapter 5

Helena had grown tired of running, stopping to dry heave, and running once again. The blood the doctors and nurses at the hospital had given her was what was slowing her down, making her sick. Being a Chosen, you have a unique digestive system, to say the very least. Helena does get nourishment from blood similar to a vampire, but regular blood straight from the source, be it a human or animal, would make her sick. Aro and Caius had discovered this after many trial and error experiments which still made Helena shudder thinking about it. There was a particular enzyme in a vampire's venom that changed the blood from something that made Helena ill to something that made Helena stronger, healthier, more nourished. Of course she had to eat real food as well. The venom-tainted blood was also part of what made the blood a vampire would drink from Helena more sought after. It gave the vampire strength beyond the run-of-the-mill vampire, as well as a few more abilities. The venom-tainted blood also made Helena's body produce more of her blood, as well as the number of vampires she would feed. Hence the cutting Helena had been doing lately. When her body produced too much blood, pain would start to wrack her. It would start out as a simple stabbing type of pain which escalate until she was screaming with pain. That was yet another trial and error experiment brought about by Aro and Caius. Helena was laying against a fallen tree, thinking about her life back in Italy with the Volturi. Outwardly, it appeared as though Helena was pampered, spoiled even. Inwardly, Helena was anything but pampered and spoiled. No freedom to come and go as she pleased. To eat what she wanted, when she wanted. To wear whatever she wanted. To go on a date. Instead she had a daily routine that was so stiff and unwavering that Helena wanted to kick and scream and have a fit just so it would break the monotony. Standing up, Helena shook her head to clear the memories of the past and started running again. After what felt like years, Helena finally passed by a sign that proclaimed she was entering a place called Ocean Shores in Washington state. Helena looked up at the sky and frowned when she saw the sun setting. It was times like these that made Helena wish she had night vision. That and a never ending supply of energy. Helena looked around, trying to find some place that she could hide and rest until the sun rose. She needed to find the vampire family who Aro and Caius kept mentioning. The only thing she knew was that they lived in eastern Washington.

"But what was the name…Cole? Colin?" Helena mumbled to herself. "Aha! A cave!"

Helena rushed towards the cave, happy that she had found a place that would have to make do as a temporary home. In the morning she would look for a telephone booth that had a phone book. Maybe if she saw the name it would jog her memory. Helena leaned back against the cool stone of the cave and closed her eyes, willing sleep to take her.

……

..

Joanna walked out of the hospital wearing scrubs and swearing under her breath. Mary Helena had indeed been there. And she had already left. Hours ago, according to her file. It wasn't hard to find a file on a Jane Doe who had been attacked at a hotel and rushed to the emergency room. However, it was difficult to find out exactly how she had escaped. There were two orderlies and a nurse in the room with Mary Helena when she escaped.

"The little bitch must have used her mind power." Joanna muttered. "At least now she'll be good and weak. Stupid little humans gave her human blood." She laughed to herself.

What Joanna dreaded doing was reporting back to Aro. He would be rather upset that she had lost track of Mary Helena again. Maybe she should admit defeat and go back to Italy and allow the Seeker to have his way and find Mary Helena within minutes.

"Pfft, no way. Like I'd concede to that arrogant jackass." Joanna laughed to herself darkly.

Joanna would have to word her response to Aro in a way that didn't sound like she had failed once again to nab Mary Helena. Joanna pulled out her cell phone and dialed Aro's number once again. She dreaded this.

……

..

The Quileute tribe wolf pack was roaming the forests surrounding Washington State to the Oregon border to the south and the Canada border to the north. Sam had divided the pack into teams of two in order to make the rounds over with quicker. Sam had paired with Colin, Jake with Brady, Embry with Jared, and Paul with Seth. It was Leah's turn to do rounds through the rez. Sam and Colin had taken the south-eastern section, while Jake and Brady patrolled the south-western section. Embry and Jared had the north-eastern section and Paul and Seth had the north-western section. Sam had instructed Colin to take the land near the coastline while he patrolled the inner part. Colin was running towards the shore when he caught an odd scent. It was somewhat sweet, but not sickeningly sweet like a vampire's scent. Putting his nose to the ground, Colin inhaled the scent and started tracking it.

"_Sam…Sam, I've caught an odd scent." Colin said in his mind. _

"_What is it? Vampire?" Sam asked._

"_No…it's sort of like a vampire's scent, but it isn't so overwhelmingly sweet. It's got a bit of a human scent." Colin said._

"_Track the scent; I'll be there within a minute. If it is a vampire, don't attack without me there." Sam commanded._

"_You got it, boss." Colin said. _

Colin tracked the scent to a cave not too far off. He was careful not to disturb whoever was in the cave. Sam came running up silently to his side a few seconds later. He too caught the odd scent and started sniffing around the front of the cave. He instructed Colin to wait outside the front while he went inside to see who was in there. The scent was about more human than vampire. It didn't make sense. It wasn't the scent of a person who had been around a vampire. Bella carried that scent and it was a bit different than this scent. Sam's wolf form stepped carefully around the cave. When his nose came upon a warm body, he sent Colin a mind message.

"_Colin, I found the source of the scent." Sam said. "Alert the others that there is a possible half-vampire or vampire servant. Tell Jake and Embry to get up here and the others to meet us back at the rez."_

"_Okie dokie." Colin said. _

Sam changed back into a human and pulled his pants on before he attempted to wake the sleeping person. He braced himself for a fight when he grabbed a hold of the person's arm and pulled them out of the cave.

……

..

Helena came awake with a scream. Someone was pulling her out of her cave by her arm! Her first thought was either Joanna or Aro. They had finally caught up to her! She was going to be punished for the rest of her unnatural life. Deciding not to go down without a fight, Helena kicked her leg out, almost smiling when it made contact. A sharp "oomph!" sounded and Helena started struggling, trying to get out of their grasp. Helena started screaming obscenities in Russian while kicking her legs out and trying to wrench her arm away when another set of hands grabbed her legs, trying to keep her still. It was still dark out and Helena had a difficult time seeing who had a hold of her.

"Damn it, Colin! Hold her legs still! She's kicking the hell out of me!" a deep voice commanded. It made Helena try to kick harder.

"I'm trying, Sam! She's strong!" another male voice said. Must be this Colin person.

Did she know anyone named Sam or Colin? They didn't have an Italian accent. She didn't know these strangers and she sure as hell wasn't going to go with them complacently. She renewed her vigor and started thrashing even more, shouting in Russian.

"What language is she speaking?" the one called Colin asked.

"Hell if I know. Just keep her still until we can find out if she's human or leech." the one called Sam ordered. "And tell Jake and Embry to hurry the hell up!"

"They're on their way, Sam! They should be here in a few minutes." Colin said. "If she keeps this up I'm not gonna be able to have kids!"

Helena was running out of energy very quickly. The human blood coupled with the past few minutes of kicking and hitting was taking its toll on Helena. Her kicks became more spaced, less powerful. She was screaming herself hoarse. She didn't think about using what little mental power she had left and now it was too late.

"I think she's tired herself out." Colin said with a laugh.

"Finally. I was beginning to think she was a full on vampire." Sam said, sighing heavily.

"Vampire! Ridiculous man." Helena said, her accent thick, her breathing hard.

Colin looked at Sam with a puzzled look on his face. Sam raised his eyebrow and Colin shrugged.

"You're not a vampire?" Colin asked.

"Never. Are you not a vampire working for Aro?" Helena asked cautiously.

"The name sounds familiar but let me put it to you this way…hell no I am not a vampire. Stupid leeches." Sam spit.

Helena's brows came together in puzzlement. These two men weren't vampires and in effect hadn't captured her to take her back to Aro and Caius. She let her body relax until another thought pushed its way into her mind.

"Are you going to take your pleasure from me?" Helena asked.

Sam's eyes went wide and Colin started coughing. It appeared her question had caught them off guard.

"No…no we're not. Why do you smell like a vampire?" Sam asked.

"It is a long story. How do I know I can trust you?" Helena asked.

About that time, Jake and Embry came running up in wolf form and Helena gave a frightened scream and tried to get away again.

"Here she goes again!" Colin said, grabbing hold of Helena's legs tigher.

"Calm down! They're not going to hurt you!" Sam said, struggling to keep hold of her arms. "Go change."

A moment later, two more men joined Sam and Colin, each only dressed in a pair of pants. Helena then realized how huge they all were. She wasn't short by any means. She was about 5'9". These guys were well over six foot tall and muscled up nicely. If she weren't so terrified they might take advantage of her, she'd appreciate their physique.

"Jake, does the name Aro ring any bells?" Sam asked, looking at the taller of the two guys.

"Yeah…I've heard one of the leeches mention that name…Volturi or something like that." Jake said.

"You do know them! You lie to me, you…you…рывок!" Helena shouted.

"What did she call you?" Jake asked, smirking.

"I call him a jerk! Let me go or I will hurt you!" Helena screeched.

"Calm down, we don't know the Volturi! We've heard of them from the leeches who live in Forks." Sam said.

"Who are these leeches you keep mentioning? Let me down this instant!" Helena demanded.

"Only if you won't try to kick or run away. If you do, we'll just chase you down again." Sam said.

Helena narrowed her eyes, as if she were sizing each of them up. She quickly calculated how small her odds would be if she did try to make a run for it. The biggest one, the leader, claimed knowing who the Volturi were, but not knowing them personally.

"You have my word that unless you try to hurt me, I will not run." Helena finally said.

Sam watched her for a moment before nodding to Colin, who gently let go of her legs. Sam let her arms loose and Helena righted herself.

"Who are these leeches that know the Volturi?" Helena asked.

"Before we start talking, I think we should find a more private place to discuss this." Jake said.

"Good point. Let's get back to the rez." Sam said.

"What is "the rez"?" Helena asked.

"The Quileute reservation." Embry said. "Where we live."

Helena's blank look confused the men.

"You know…Native American Reservations…in La Push. We're Quileute; hence we're going back to the Quileute rez." Colin said.

"Where exactly are you from?" Sam asked, seeing that the blank look hadn't left Helena's face. "And who are you?"

"I am Helena, daughter of Lydia. I was born in Russia but was moved to Italy under the care of Aro and Caius, the leaders of the Volturi." Helena said.

"I think she better talk to the leeches about this." Jake said.

"Will you come to the rez with us? You'll get all the answers you want." Sam said, nodding at Jake.

"How can I be sure you all will not decide to hand me over to Aro? Or to use me for yourself?" Helena asked.

"One, we HATE vampires. Two, we're not rapists." Sam said.

"Well, Paul is always randy but he doesn't force himself on any female." Colin said, chuckling.

Helena looked over each man again, trying to discern if they were telling the truth or lying. She had just barely gotten back some mental power and at last had finally decided to use it just enough to see if their leader was lying or telling the truth. She concentrated on getting through to Sam's mind when his brow creased.

"What…my head feels weird." Sam said, rubbing his forehead.

"Be still." Helena said, still concentrating on him.

"What are you doing to me?" Sam asked, bracing himself.

"Trying to figure if you are lying or not." Helena said. "Be still."

Sam took a breath and calmed himself, letting Helena find out for herself that he was in fact telling the truth. A few moments later, the sensation in his head left and Helena nodded.

"How far away is this rez?" Helena asked.

"About three hours driving. But we don't drive." Jake said, smiling.

"Oh, do you fly?" Helena asked sarcastically.

"Nope. We run." Colin said.

"Oh so it'll take about about a day and a half? I will flag down a driver." Helena said, looking around.

"You can ride on me if you want." Colin offered.

"Carrying me will only add to your walking time. Don't be stupid." Helena said.

"I told you, we're not walking. We're running." Colin said.

"When you collapse with exhaustion, don't say I didn't tell you so." Helena said.

"I won't collapse from exhaustion. Not from running anyway." Embry said with a laugh.

"Here we go again…" Jake said, shaking his head.

"What you're about to see, Helena…don't scream." Sam said.

"Scream? Why?" Helena asked.

"To put it succinctly…we're wolves." Sam said. "When we turn into wolves, we can run really fast. Faster than any car. Nearly as fast as a vampire can run…"

"Wolf? As in werewolf?" Helena asked, taking a step backwards.

"Yes…we descend from werewolves. Nice werewolves." Jake said.

"No! Aro said werewolves will kill me! No!" Helena said, backing away.

"We won't kill you!" Colin said.

"Stop, Helena…do you really believe everything that leech has told you?" Sam asked.

"Well…" Helena said.

That question put a stop in Helena's retreat. She hadn't thought of the fact that Aro could have lied to her about some things. Helena had two choices. She could go with these werewolves…men. Or she could try to find who she was looking for and risk getting captured by Joanna and therefore sent back to Aro.

"I will go with you." Helena finally said.

……

..

Carlisle was sitting in his home office once again. This time he was playing solitaire on his laptop, trying to pass the time until his shift at the hospital started. So far, he had managed to kill two hours. It was another ten hours until his shift started. Perhaps he could convince Edward, Emmett, and Jasper to go hunting. It wasn't that he was particularly hungry. It was more out of boredom and a little bit of loneliness. It wasn't a lack of date offers. It was a lack of that none of them were Esme. He was ashamed to admit it, but if Esme came back, he would take her back quicker than anything. A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts. He could guess who it was just by the knock.

"Come in, Alice." Carlisle said, shutting off the monitor.

"Sam Uley wants to speak with you. Something about the Volturi and some girl?" Alice said.

"Is he on the phone?" Carlisle asked.

"No, but Edward was out hunting and her heard it in Leah's thoughts." Alice said.

"I'll wait for Sam to contact me, then." Carlisle said. "Why are you so excited?"

"She's here! The one I've been having visions about! She must have met up with Sam because right during my vision, it went black." Alice said.

"Well you can finally meet the girl and see why she's so important that you keep having visions about her." Carlisle said.

"Mmmmhmmmmm." Alice said in a sing-songy voice as she skipped out of the room.

Carlisle shook his head as he watched Alice leave. Was it sad that he was actually looking forward to this? Had his life become this empty since Esme left.

"Yes." Carlisle whispered to himself.

……

..

A little over an hour later, Helena slid off Colin's back at what could only be the Quileute reservation. It wasn't overly remarkable. But it wasn't the hell hole that she lived in when she was in Italy. Comparatively it was a million times better. The cave she was in was better than Italy. One by one, Helena watched as each wolf morphed back into a man. She turned her head when they went to put their pants on.

"Will you stay here while I make a call?" Sam asked.

"I have told you I will not leave unless I feel threatened." Helena said.

Helena watched as Sam went inside one of the houses and a few moments later, a girl with equally dark skin and long black hair came out. She had some scarring on her face, but it didn't take away from the radiant glow on her face.

"Hello, you must be Helena. I'm Emily, Sam's wife." The girl said, walking over to Helena.

……

..

The telephone rang in the Cullen household a minute later. Carlisle picked up the phone on the second ring.

"Hello?" Carlisle said into the receiver.

"Carlisle?" Sam asked.

"Yes, this is Carlisle."

"I've found someone while doing rounds near the south-eastern shore of Washington. She kept mentioning Volturi and someone named Aro. I vaguely recall you talking about that." Sam said.

"Yes…I used to be somewhat close to Aro. The Volturi are sort of the ruling body for vampires, based in Italy." Carlisle said. "Who is it that you found?"

"Her name is Helena. I'm not exactly sure what she is to the Volturi but it's clear she does not want to go back to them." Sam said. "Would it be possible for you to speak to her?"

"I'm sure I could find some time. When would be best?" Carlisle asked.

"Are you free right now?" Sam asked.

"I don't start my shift for a few more hours. Do you want to bring her here or shall I come there?" Carlisle said.

"We'll bring her there." Sam said. "See you in a few."

Sam hung up the telephone and walked back outside to see Emily chatting up a storm to Helena. Sam smiled and walked over to Emily, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"I've called Carlisle. He said it's okay to bring you over. He'll answer all the questions you have." Sam said to Helena.

"Who is Carlisle?" Helena asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

"Carlisle Cullen. He's…a vampire. But I'm pretty sure he's not like Aro." Sam said.

"Cullen! Yes, take me to him!" Helena said. "That is who I could not remember!"

……

..

Half an hour later, Sam knocked on the Cullen's front door with Helena in tow. Not a second later, a short girl with short, dark hair opened the door. She had a big smile on her face and she let Sam and Helena in the room. Immediately the girl hugged Helena.

"You're the one I've been seeing! You're finally here! Carlisle, she's here!" the girl said, smiling.

Carlisle walked down the stairs as Alice was going on and on. He looked cordial, but he had an aura of sadness around him. Helena considered trying to see what was bothering him but decided against it for now.

"Hello. You must be Helena. I'm Carlisle Cullen." Carlisle said, extending his hand.

Helena was too awestruck to move.

……

..

_Does this huge chapter make up for anything? Please? I wrote and wrote until I got to the point where Carlisle and Helena meet. I finally finished all my finals! Yay! I'm exhausted! Nine pages worth of writing for this chapter! Will you all review it please? I'll be so happy and won't feel like all this writing was done for nothing. Reviewwww! I want to know what you all think of it. In the next chapter we will get more into how each of them feel about meeting the other and some questions will be answered. YaY! Review? Pleeeeaaaasssseeee? Mwaaaah!!!_


	6. Chapter 6

Aro hung his phone up having just received an update about Mary Helena's disappearance. Joanna was getting close, she said, just barely missing her. If she failed once more, Aro decided, he would deploy the Seeker to eradicate Joanna and bring back Mary Helena. The Seeker, known to the common vampire simply as Nyx, was a secret tool of the Volturi to hunt down any vampire or human. Currently, Nyx was held in chains forged of the strongest steel in a chamber way below where Aro resided now. Flights upon flights of stairs had to be descended, many doors with many locks to be unlocked, and a laser beam light that criss-crossed the entire chamber to track Nyx's every movement was the precautionary movements taken in order to ensure the Volturi's safety from Nyx. In addition to being the Seeker, Nyx also had a nasty habit of destroying anyone or anything who sought to harm him or get in his way. He had already tried to attack Aro once before, hence all the precautions. But he was too valuable a tool to let free. It had been rumored, Aro thought, that Nyx was truly insane. Not born insane, mind you, but driven insane by the life he lead. No one but Nyx truly knew his past, and he wasn't about to go spilling to anyone. Aro smiled as he held the one key that would continue to keep Nyx his slave. It wasn't a key made of metal, but more of a metaphorical key. He held the soul that had been taken from Nyx hundreds of years ago. And he wasn't about to let it go for anything.

……

..

Helena stared at Carlisle Cullen. To say that he was handsome was the understatement of a lifetime. Several lifetimes, in fact. But his eyes, Helena thought, his eyes were haunted. Sad. It shook her to her core, having known that feeling so intimately. A nudge from Sam woke her from her thoughts.

"Yes. I am Helena. You are Carlisle Cullen?" Helena said, bending over his hand and placing a kiss upon it.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Carlisle asked.

"You know the Volturi, yes?" Helena asked.

Carlisle paused, seeing the searching look in her eyes. He was almost willing to bet that Aro and Caius had sent her to him in order to try and persuade him and his family to join the Volturi in Italy.

"I appreciate your coming all the way from Italy to see me, Helena, but you can tell Aro and Caius that my family and I will not be joining the Volturi anytime soon. I'm sorry you had to waste your time." Carlisle said.

"No, no! No, I am not asking that you join them." Helena said, spitting out the word them with contempt. "I wish you to help me not be part of them."

"You're part of the Volturi? But you're not a vampire…at least not a whole vampire. Am I missing something?" Carlisle asked.

"You know, I'll just leave you two to talk. I've got patrols to do." Sam said, walking out of the room and out of the house.

Carlisle watched Sam go, taking in Helena's odd appearance as he did so. Her clothes was dirty and ill-fitting. She looked a little wan and pale, even by vampire standards. She smelled of something that wasn't quite vampire and not quite human.

"Would you care for something to eat?" Carlisle asked.

Just then, Alice burst through the door with a wide smile on her face, dragging Jasper behind her.

"See, Jazz? I told you she would be here today and there she is!" Alice said, coming up to Helena.

"Calm down, Alice. You're going to scare her." Jasper said, trying to hold Alice back.

"Hi, I'm Alice." Alice said, waving excitedly.

"Hello. I am Helena." Helena said.

"Helena…" Alice said, her eyebrows knitting together.

"I was just offering Helena some food, if you'll excuse us." Carlisle said, trying to steer Helena towards the kitchen. He wasn't sure if he wanted his family to hear what she had to say yet or not.

"Yes, food does sound very good. It was a pleasure to meet you, Alice." Helena said.

……

..

"Edward, tune into Carlisle's and Helena's thoughts. For some reason, he doesn't want us to know. Which means I have to know." Alice said, rushing into Edward's room.

"Then there's probably a good reason for what he's doing. If you want to know so badly, you go spy on them." Edward said, turning up the volume so he could finish watching a movie with Bella.

"Edward, this is serious! She's the one I've been having visions about!" Alice whispered frantically. In her mind, she sent a mental message to Edward.

_"Edward, she's going to be a huge part of Carlisle's life. They're going to fall in love and she's going to help him get over Esme leaving him. He's going to help heal her inside. Now you need to get off your butt and help me make sure neither one of them screw it up!" _

Edward's attention snapped to Alice, her eyes narrowed, hands on her hips. Sighing, he told Bella he would return in a few minutes and walked downstairs with Alice to help her run interference.

……

..

"You don't have an Italian accent. Where are you from? Before you came to be with the Volturi." Carlisle asked, setting a plate of food before Helena.

Helena took two huge bites before answering. In truth, she was starving, and not just for food. Her blood was running low.

"I was born in Russia. I was taken from my mother when I was young, by Aro and Caius. My mother was killed shortly afterwards." Helena said before shoving more food in her mouth.

Helena wondered while she was eating food where she could find a vampire who wouldn't be freaked out by a request to drink blood from them that they themselves had either already drank or had infused with their venom. Somehow, she didn't think Carlisle would jump on board.

"Why did they take you? It's obvious you're not a full vampire. No offense meant, of course." Carlisle said.

"No, I am not a vampire. I'm not exactly completely human either. I am…special. That is why Aro and Caius took me." Helena said.

"Why, though?" Carlisle asked.

Helena dreaded this. "I am the Chosen one." she whispered.

In the hallway, Alice and Edward exchanged confused glances.

"You're….the Chosen one? But the last time I heard, the Chosen one was a woman named…" Carlisle said, but was interrupted by Helena.

"Lydia." Helena finished for him. "My mother."

_"Edward, do you know what a Chosen is?" Alice thought to Edward. _He shook his head.

"And Aro and Caius let you come here?" Carlisle asked, disbelieving.

"Not exactly, no. I…escaped. Please do not turn me back in to them! I worked hard to escape, please do not send me back!" Helena pleaded.

Carlisle excused himself from the table quickly. His mind was reeling. There was a Chosen in his kitchen. A Chosen who had escaped from the Volturi. Carlisle knew instinctively that they would not be happy that she had left them. He wasn't so callous that he would turn the poor girl over to them. His brief time with the Volturi had taught him what they used Chosen for. He briefly recalled Lydia, Helena's mother. He was hard up to repress the shudder that went through him.

……

..

Alice crept silently towards Carlisle, tapping him on the shoulder. He jumped before realizing it was only Alice.

"Carlisle, what's going on? What exactly is a Chosen?" Alice asked.

Carlisle sighed. He should be upset with Alice for eavesdropping, but he couldn't find it within himself to be angry. He didn't know how much Helena knew about the life that was ahead of her. Pulling Alice to the next room, he whispered what he knew about Chosen.

"Basically, there are women who aren't exactly human but not exactly vampire. They require food and blood. Their main purpose, according to some vampires, is for breeding and feeding. I knew of her mother. I did not know Lydia had a daughter, nor that she was a Chosen as well." Carlisle said.

Alice's eyes went wide. That poor girl sitting at their kitchen table was being used for carrying vampire babies and for food. Alice shook her head, imagining the life Helena would have led had she stayed with the Volturi.

"We can't let her go back, Carlisle." Alice whispered.

"She can't stay here." Carlisle said.

"Why not?" Alice asked.

"Because." Carlisle said.

"Because why? She's in trouble, she needs help. We can help her." Alice said.

"The Volturi will come looking for her and they will eventually come here. With their army. I don't want to compromise the safety of my family and the people in this town." Carlisle said.

"You're chickening out." Alice said, crossing her arms. "Fine. She can stay with Jasper and I at our place in Alaska."

"I'm not chickening out, Alice. I'm thinking of the greater good." Carlisle said.

"I'm sure she could give two hoots about that. If she gets taken back to the Volturi, she'll be tortured. Used for nothing but food and popping out babies for Aro and Caius and who knows who else. I don't know about you but I'm not going to contribute to that." Alice said, turning and walking away.

Carlisle sighed softly again. Alice had a point. But he wanted to keep his family and the people of this town safe. He walked back to the kitchen to find Edward watching Helena as she ate. No doubt that he was listening in on her thoughts.

"Where will you be staying, Helena?" Carlisle asked.

Helena looked up. "I will find somewhere suitable." she answered.

"Why don't you stay here? We have an extra room." Edward offered.

Carlisle looked at Edward, thinking that Alice had gotten to him. Helena looked over at him and he nodded.

"Yes, we would be delighted to have you here. We can talk more after you have rested." Carlisle said.

"Thank you." Helena said, smiling gratefully.

Alice walked into the kitchen a moment later. In her arms were several bags.

"Come with me, Helena. I've got you some clothes and toiletries and I'll show you to your room. You'll love it!" Alice said.

……

..

Helena watched and listened to Alice as she showed Helena where everything was, talking a mile a minute.

"So, what do you think? Do you like it here?" Alice asked.

"You have a very beautiful home. Thank you for inviting me." Helena said.

"I'm glad you like it. I hope you don't mind me asking…you're a Chosen right? What is a Chosen?" Alice asked.

"I am a Chosen. I, like my mother, are nothing more than items desired by vampires. We consume blood that has been tainted by vampire venom. By doing that, the Chosen can produce blood that is more nourishing to a vampire than regular human or animal blood. When I was with the Volturi, I fed them. I also eat human food. My body is different from a human female's in such a way that if I were to get pregnant with a vampire, it would not kill me. That is why Aro and Caius kept me." Helena said.

"To get you pregnant?" Alice asked, horrified.

"To start their own vampire army." Helena said.

"Well I can tell you one thing. You're not going back there if I have anything to do with it." Alice said.

……

..

_A.N.: I'm really sad…out of everyone who read my last chapter, only 2 of you left reviews. Over 20 people read, but only 2 reviewed. That…it's a spirit breaker. If you read my story, please review. You all know writing fan-fiction pays nothing because obviously I don't own Twilight. Reviews are what make me want to update. I seriously considered not updating until I got more reviews. 2 reviews…that burst my bubble. 9 pages of an update and that's what I get. Erica3769 and 1993, you two are amazing. Thank you both so much for reviewing. To the others who read and don't review? Just a few words, is that so much to ask? Please review. I work hard to update.  
Anyway, enough with the gloom. What do you all think? Ooo what's gonna happen? Keep reading to find out. REVIEW please? Mwaaaah!_


	7. Author's Note

Just a quick note, lovely readers. This week…ugh. The physics class the professor gave me expressed permission to enroll? Yeah, they said "no" and overrode him. WTF! I'm extremely upset because taking that away from me makes me:

Mad as heck because I LOVE physics

A year behind because now I have to take trig before I can take physics (again wtf)

I met all other pre-requisites but ugh! The professor gave me expressed permission! Even took me to see the head of the science department and she kept saying "no, no". #%#!##!##!! Maybe I should go sic James or Paul on her. Argh!

So that is why this latest update has been a bit delayed. I'm working on the next chapter! Classes started this week and yeah…

Plus, this evening, mom and I finished putting the roof on the pergola/arbor. A huge 20x60 mofo. –flops- I promise an update by the weekend! I'm so sorry its late! Please don't give up on me! I love you all! You are the best readers ever! And reviews! Thank you!!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

Esme was reclined against Rheneas, reading the daily newspaper from Forks, Washington. Sometimes, her heart ached to go back there, her old home. She could go back there, true, but it would never be the same again. She had left and later divorced her then-husband, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He was one of the town's most cherished people. Not afraid of working long hours or getting called in for emergencies; Carlisle was a god among men. But somehow, that life just wasn't enough for Esme. She loved Carlisle, a part of her still did. But after so many years with him, she fell out of love with him. He was comfortable, like your ex's old college hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. Comfortable, but just not your favorite outfit anymore. Her idea of fun and Carlisle's idea of fun were two different things now. Rheneas was the epitome of everything Esme felt that was missing from her life. It was a hard decision to make; to leave her partner of so many years to start something new with Rheneas. Of course doubts clouded every inch of her mind. As if sensing what she was thinking, Esme felt Rheneas skim his hand over her hair and down her cheek.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

"I'm just missing the kids." Esme said.

"Maybe we can plan a weekend trip to visit them soon." Rheneas said, not wanting to pressure her either way.

Esme nodded. Was she too selfish to even wonder if maybe, just maybe, she could have the best of both worlds. She even wondered if she could pull it off. The last update she had heard, Carlisle hadn't found anyone else to share his life with…

……

..

Right at that moment, Helena's respect for this small vampire called Alice had grown a hundred percent. She believed what Alice had promised. She just hoped the allure that came with being a Chosen didn't negatively influence any of the Cullen clan. Helena would gladly nourish the Cullens in exchange for safety and freedom they could provide for her. At the very least help her hide out somewhere, away forever from the Volturi. At the very thought of the Volturi, Helena shuddered.

"Thank you, Alice. I cannot begin to tell you how I appreciate everything." Helena said.

"You don't have to thank me. Every person should be given a chance for freedom and happiness without it being impeded upon by someone just because that person has a special ability or talent." Alice said.

"Here are some clothes if you want to change. There's a bathroom through that door if you'd like to shower." Alice said.

"Thank you." Helena said.

"I just have one question…" Alice said.

"Okay. Ask your question." Helena said.

"Well, it's actually more than one question, but anyway…you said you consume blood tainted by vampire's venom. How do you go about doing that?" Alice asked.

"There are two ways to accomplish this. The first way was the way Aro used to feed me before he discovered the second way. You know how vampires have strength throughout their bodies? That includes things like ability to bite through hard things. Over time, Chosens have developed certain abilities similar to that of the vampires we served. One of those things being, like I mentioned earlier, the ability to bite through hard things. In this case, it was the skin of the vampire or vampires we serve. All the vampire has to do is consume the blood and when it enters their system, it mixes with the vampire's venom. Somehow, that has given it the properties that make it consumable and necessary to a Chosen's survival. The first few times I had to feed, it was from Aro's wrist, where I would just break the skin enough to drink part of the blood he had earlier consumed. That in turn would change the properties of my own blood so that it is very much more nourishing that normal human or animal blood. Aro, Caius, and the rest of the Volturi only had to feed from me every month or two. But Aro would not allow all of them to feed from me that often. He became a bit greedy and was trying to market my blood and get other vampire's loyalty, especially if those vampires had special talents." Helena said.

"What was the other way?" Alice asked.

"To take the blood directly from its host and get the vampire's venom and mix it in with the blood. That is the way Aro has fed me for the majority of the time I was with the Volturi." Helena said.

"Wow…that's just…" Alice said, shaking her head, "amazing. I never would have guessed."

……

..

Once again, Carlisle was sitting at his desk, contemplating his newest guest. A Chosen freshly escaped from the Volturi. The last Chosen he had even heard of must have been distantly related to Helena. Perhaps a great-great grandmother. Carlisle had to think for a moment to remember her name.

_"Sashenka…"_ Carlisle thought to himself.

He had been a young vampire then, not having known the Volturi for long at all. He had wondered then how Aro and Caius had been able to feed from the same human over and over again without killing her. It took him a few years to work out that she was a Chosen, although at the time he didn't exactly know what a Chosen was other than a human female that could feed a vampire without it killing her. It took a few more years with the Volturi to figure out all what a Chosen was. The only part that Carlisle had gotten correct was the female part as well as the drinking of her blood and it not killing her. A Chosen survived on blood tainted with a vampire's venom plus regular food. In addition to that, the Chosen needed to feed a vampire her blood or else risk damage to her blood vessels and organs. He wondered when the last time Helena had fed from a vampire as well as fed a vampire.

……

..

_A.N. How bad do you guys hate me? I am so so SO sorry! I won't even begin to rattle off excuses and take your time. Just know that it prevented me from typing, literally. Thank you to all you wonderful people who have reviewed and stuck by me! You guys are fantastic! Sorry this chapter is so short. As soon as I'm able to type more without pain, I will, I promise! Review, please? MWAAAH!!!_


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